媒体报导

While Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Lasers (VCSELs) have been used in data communications for over 20 years, there are a host of emerging applications that are boosting demand for VCSEL production and performance. These include less well-known applications such as infrared illumination/heating and atomic clocks, to better-known proximity sensing for automotive safety, high-resolution video display, and gesture/facial recognition. This article gives a broad overview of some of these applications driving demand for etch and deposition technologies used in the manufacturing of VCSEL structures on compound semiconductor wafers.

The Welsh Government has announced a new £1.3 million project to develop world-leading process technologies for a range of applications, including autonomous vehicles, novel devices for clean energy, future mobility, artificial intelligence, advanced packaging, and biosensors and wearable sensors. Part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the ASSET project (Application Specific Semiconductor Etching Technology) is funded under the Welsh Government's SMARTExpertise programme and is an industrially driven, collaborative project with partners across south Wales, including: SPTS Technologies, IQE, the Compound Semiconductor Centre (CSC), Biovici, BioMEMS, Swansea and Cardiff Universities, and Integrated Compound Semiconductors Ltd (Manchester).

Others see demand for different applications. “Our first-half demand was good for 200mm and smaller wafer sizes, notably on wide bandgap semiconductors for high-performance power devices,” said Kevin Crofton, president of SPTS Technologies and executive vice president at Orbotech. “For the second half, we are seeing a pick-up in all sectors, in particular, RF power amplifiers and filtering for 5G infrastructure, which are 200mm and 150mm wafer activities.” Recently, KLA completed its previously announced acquisition of SPTS/Orbotech. SPTS offers 200mm deposition and etch tools. “We never stopped building new process equipment for 200mm and smaller wafer sizes,” Crofton said. “MEMS, RF, photonics and power semis are made on silicon and other substrates based on 200mm, 150mm and 100mm.”